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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the use of a computer based instructional system to improve communications skills of individuals accompanied by improvements in their functionality in speaking, spelling, writing, reading, brailling, signing or translating language.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Each new development in communications technology has been touted as having a bright potential capable of revolutionizing education. New pieces of equipment are offered by manufacturers and adopted by school boards intent on fulfilling their educational objectives. All too frequently these pieces of hardware are oversold, under used, and then discarded. Technological innovations have come and gone without stimulating revolution because the hardware has been better than the software and management design controlling it.
The computer is the latest technology under trial. Computers execute programs, or software. There are four principal categories of educational software. They are tutorial, drill and practice, simulation, and utility. With respect to educational content, tutorial software provides some facts. These facts might range from how to punctuate a sentence to how to use a piece of equipment. The number of programs of this type is growing, but still not plentiful. Drill and practice programs are the most numerous of the educational software packages available. Usually, these programs operate with the assumption that the material has already been presented to the student; the programs provide only exercises which reinforce previously presented material or concepts. Some drill and practice programs do include tutorial information on concepts with which the student is having trouble.
Teaching a foreign language is an example of computer assisted drill and practice activity. Here the computer is used to augment verbal drills. In teaching German, the student might be given the stimulus "Ich bin bier" followed by a prompt "Du." The student must respond with "Du bist hier." Anything else is judged incorrect.
Simulation programs model particular situations, such as chemical reactions in a test tube when specified chemicals are added together. Because they incorporate "what if" types of questions, simulation programs hasten learning by discovery. However, because of the demanding program design, logic, and programming effort, simulation programs are often limited in their scope and simply not as available as drill and practice packages.
The fourth category, utility, is a collection of programs which function in supporting roles. Examples of such programs include statistical or calculational programs for studying the mathematics of chemical reaction simulation programs. The role of the software in this category is as a tool in the learning process.
Initial applications of microcomputers in the classroom were in the teaching of computer literacy and programming languages, such as LOGO.TM.. Such languages allowed the student to "direct" the computer to follow specified instructions and present the results, usually graphically. Computer labs became very popular in many schools as new instructional procedures were developed to accommodate this new technology. More recent trends have seen the computers move out of the labs and back into the classrooms where they are being used as learning tools.
Seen in this light, the computer has been used as an alternative to textbook exercises or to augment a human drill instructor and has provided no real innovation in pedagogy. Instead, computer assisted instruction has used the superior speed and repeatability of the computer to present improved versions of selected portions of a human teacher's presentation. There has been little effort in utilizing the fundamental capabilities of computer mediated technology to present unique pedagogical methods.
The computer in these applications is merely a more animated version of paper-based programs of instruction. Unfortunately, in these applications, the computer's speed and accuracy is offset by its inflexibility. The most critical deficiency of even the most advanced current computer mediated instructional programs is the lack of facility in dealing with the different cognitive learning styles of the students using the program.
Learning occurs in a process of stimulus, reaction and reinforcement. Each action may occupy any or all of the available sensory pathways involving seeing, hearing, speaking, touching, or kinetic moving. Learning activities are strongly influenced by experience and culture. There is evidence that sex may have an influence on learning patterns. Young children do not learn the same way as adults. People learning a second language do not learn it the way they learned their first, or native, language. People with sensory or motor handicaps adapt to different learning styles consistent with their existing capabilities. Existing computer mediated instructional applications do not adequately deal with this diversity of learning styles. Learners are constrained to follow preprogrammed patterns that do not evaluate each individual to determine the optimal sequence of stimulus, response and reinforcement that leads to the most efficient learning with the greatest retention. These programs lack the structure and methods necessary to diagnose individual capabilities and efficiencies, provide individualized instruction and evaluate results.
It is the object of this invention to utilize computer technology to integrate multi-sensory stimuli in a comprehensive system for synthesis of individualized evaluation, prescription, instruction, and testing for advancement of communications skills in spoken, written, aural, visual or tactile modes as depicted in FIG. 1 in any of an unlimited number of languages.
It is a further objective of this invention to provide a system to support the teaching of symbols formed of single or multiple letters of an alphabet (phonograms) in association with their sound or sounds.
It is a further objective of this invention to provide a system to teach the techniques and procedures for combining phonograms into syllables, and then into the words of a language and, thus, to teach correct enunciation, spelling, writing, and reading.
It is a further objective of this invention to provide a system to teach the techniques and procedures for combining words into grammatically correct and meaningful sentences.
It is a further objective of this invention to provide a system to teach the techniques and procedures for combining sentences into paragraphs or essays conveying meaningful expression and thought.
It is a further objective of this invention to provide a system to teach efficient, comprehensive note-taking to the student receiving delivered oral and visual discourse.
It is a further objective of this invention to provide a system to teach identification and comprehension of braille for unsighted learners.
It is a further objective of this invention to provide a system to teach efficient and comprehensive recognition of hand signs associated with letters, words, and phrases for deaf learners.
It is a further objective of this invention to provide a system to teach the use and practice of specialized vocabularies, such as those involved in scientific, technological and engineering fields.
It is a further objective of this invention to provide a system to teach interpretation of and translation between languages.